Author: chicagoinquirer

Copy StoryMore OptionsClose by Samy Magdy CAIRO  — Around midnight in mid-November, Libyan militiamen in two Toyota pickup trucks arrived at a residential building in a neighborhood of the capital of Tripoli. They stormed the house, bringing out a blindfolded man in his 70s. Their target was former Libyan intelligence agent Abu Agila Mohammad Mas’ud Kheir Al-Marimi, wanted by the United States for allegedly making the bomb that brought down New York-bound Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, just days before Christmas in 1988. The attack killed 259 people in the air and 11 on the ground. Weeks after…

by Kathleen Foody and Michael Tarm CHICAGO  — The father of an Illinois man charged with killing seven people in a mass shooting at a July 4 parade in a Chicago suburb has been charged with seven felony counts of reckless conduct, prosecutors announced Friday. Lake County State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart said Robert Crimo Jr. surrendered to police on Friday and will have a bond hearing Saturday. Rinehart said the charges are based on Crimo sponsoring his then 19-year-old son’s application for a gun license in 2019. “Parents and guardians are in the best position to decide whether their teenagers…

LAKE FOREST, Ill. — Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields is set to play Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles after missing a practice this week because of an illness, while receiver Chase Claypool was ruled out due to a knee injury. Fields was a full participant in practice Friday for the second straight day after sitting out on Wednesday. He missed the game at the New York Jets on Nov. 27 because of a separated nonthrowing shoulder, then threw for a season-high 254 yards and ran for a 55-yard touchdown against Green Bay two weeks ago. Fields needs 95 yards to…

by Bobby Caina NEW YORK  — Throngs of spectators lined the streets of New York on Thursday as colorful, high-flying balloons helped usher in the holiday season during the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. The annual tradition, which dates back nearly a century, packed streets as a procession of giant inflatables and floats streamed for more than 40 blocks from Central Park to Herald Square. Children balanced atop metal barricades and hung from scaffolding to watch the balloons amid mostly sunny skies and a slight breeze. “Blue, Blue. There’s Blue,” yelled Divyam Kumar, 6, as his father helped balance him and…

by Gerald Imray DOHA, Qatar — Joy for the Williams family of Spain on Wednesday at the World Cup. Then despair for the same Williams family, who are also of Ghana, on Thursday. Williams brothers Iñaki and Nico have managed to mark both sides of their family’s heritage in the most incredible way at this World Cup in Qatar by playing for two different countries. They were both born in Spain but their parents are from Ghana. Nico was part of the Spain team that beat Costa Rica 7-0 on Wednesday in the tournament’s most compelling performance so far. He…

LUSAIL, Qatar – Neymar was pictured in tears on the Brazil bench after leaving his team’s 2-0 win over Serbia to begin their World Cup campaign in Qatar on Thursday, after picking up an injury to his right ankle. He will now have to wait between 24 and 48 hours to find out if he will play again at this year’s World Cup, according to team doctors. The Brazil forward was subjected to nine fouls throughout the game by a physical Serbian side and was replaced by Antony in the 80th minute after spending some time on the ground at the Lusail Iconic Stadium following a hard tackle by Nikola Milenkovic. – World…

by Anne D’Incenzio NEW YORK — While Black Friday will mark a return to familiar holiday shopping patterns, uncertainty still remains. The U.S. job market remains strong, consumer spending is resilient and inflation has been slowing. But elevated prices for food, rent, gasoline and other household costs have taken a toll on shoppers. As a result, many are reluctant to spend unless there is a big sale and are being more selective with what they will buy — in many cases, trading down to cheaper stuff and less expensive stores. Shoppers are also dipping more into their savings, turning increasingly…

by Rich Rovito MILWAUKEE  — DeMar DeRozan had 36 points and eight assists, and the Chicago Bulls beat the Milwaukee Bucks 118-113 on Wednesday night. Chicago began the week with a 6-10 record but has now beaten the NBA’s top two teams. The Bulls ended Boston’s nine-game winning streak on Monday. Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic scored 18 points apiece for Chicago, and Coby White finished with 14 points. Giannis Antetokounmpo had 36 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists for the Bucks, who lost for just the second time in 11 home games this season. Brook Lopez scored 20 points…

by Paul Wiseman WASHINGTON  — Most Federal Reserve officials at their last meeting favored reducing the size of their interest rate hikes “soon’’— just before raising their benchmark rate by a substantial three-quarters of a point for a fourth straight time. The central bank’s policymakers saw “very few signs that inflation pressures were abating.” Still, a “substantial majority” of the officials felt that smaller rate hikes “would likely soon be appropriate,” according to the minutes of their Nov. 1-2 meetingreleased Wednesday. The Fed is widely expected to raise its key short-term rate, which affects many consumer and business loans, by…

by Alex Brandon CHESAPEAKE, Va.  — A Walmart manager opened fire on fellow employees gathered in the break room of a Virginia store, a witness said Wednesday. Six people died in the country’s second high-profile mass shooting in a handful of days. The gunman, who apparently killed himself, was dead when police found him, said Chesapeake Police Chief Mark G. Solesky said. There was no clear motive for the shooting, which also left four people in the hospital. The store was busy just before the attack Tuesday night with people stocking up ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday, a shopper told…